Manila 3rd District Rep. Joel Chua said Vice President Sara Duterte and her husband, Manases Carpio, will not be able to indefinitely shield their income tax records from scrutiny as the impeachment process unfolds.
Chua, who chairs the House Committee on Good Government and Public Accountability, explained that the decision of the House Committee on Justice to keep a sealed box of tax documents from the Bureau of Internal Revenue was a cautious legal step, not an admission that lawmakers lack authority to examine its contents.
He stressed that many lawmakers believe the House has the constitutional power to review such records, especially in the context of impeachment, which deals with serious allegations such as violations of the Constitution, betrayal of public trust, and other high crimes.
According to Chua, the House’s authority to initiate impeachment proceedings includes the ability to craft its own rules and issue subpoenas. He noted that the tax records in question were obtained through such compulsory processes, making them valid pieces of evidence, particularly in probing possible unexplained wealth.
At the same time, he said the committee opted for prudence as the Duterte camp has repeatedly challenged its jurisdiction, including its authority to access confidential tax documents.
Despite leaving the records unopened, the justice panel has already determined that there is probable cause to proceed, effectively passing the matter to the Senate should the House vote to transmit the Articles of Impeachment.
Chua said that if the case reaches trial, the Senate, which will be acting as an impeachment court, will have the authority to decide whether to open the sealed documents. He added that the records could then be used to assess whether the vice president’s declared income taxes are consistent with reported financial transactions and her stated net worth.
Lawmakers have pointed to alleged discrepancies in Duterte’s Statements of Assets, Liabilities, and Net Worth (SALNs), including a declared net worth of P88.5 million and the absence of declared cash and bank deposits over several years. These figures, they noted, contrast sharply with billions of pesos in transactions flagged by the Anti-Money Laundering Council.
Chua emphasized that while tax laws impose confidentiality on income records, the Constitution takes precedence in matters of impeachment, which he described as the highest form of accountability for public officials.
The sealed tax documents have been preserved as part of the official records of the proceedings and may be transmitted to the Senate impeachment court if the House plenary ultimately approves the Articles of Impeachment.